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A nudge onJa Hot and thirsty as I was, I didn’tas it et Fortunately it was cider, and I gulped it

"Drink it like that, and ye’ll founder, Sassenach," he said, disposing of his own cider in precisely si, but his eyes sparkled as he grinned at me

"Piffle," I said With a bit of cider as ballast, the roo, and I felt cheerful, if hot "How ht, last ti throng with an expression of deep content "They coh, so I canna be quite sure And I didna count the weans," he added, htly to avoid collision as a trio of s

Heaps of fresh hay were stacked in the shadows at the sides of the barn; the small bodies of children too wee to stay aere draped and curled a theht a gleaold; Jemmy was sound asleep in his blanket, happily lulled by the racket I saw Bree co and lay her hand briefly on hier put out a hand to her, dark and s as they whirled back into the staroups of young people, and courting couples It was freezing and frost-crisp outside, but the coldOne of the older MacLeod boys passed near us, his arranddaughters, I thought; he had three of theenial to hiirl was already pink with dancing, but went crimson in the face

"What did you say to the a hand in the sht with a flah to kindle my own heart He saw that, and sh the cloth of own

"D’ye want to go outside for a moment, Sassenach?" he said, his voice pitched low and rich with suggestion

"Well, since you h" I nodded past hi on a bench against the wall, all viewing us with the bright-eyed curiosity of a flock of crows Ja theles, and turned back to h

"Aye, well In a bit, then--after the first-footing,cae in the direction of the tub of cider, presided over by Mr Wemyss at the far end of the barn The dancers clustered round it like a horde of thirsty wasps, so that all that was visible of Mr Wemyss was the top of his head, fair hair al it, I looked round for Lizzie, to see whether she was enjoying the party Evidently so; she was holding court on a hay bale, surrounded by four or five gawky boys, ere all behaving veryone?" I asked Ja with a nod ofslightly

"Oh," he said, relaxing, "that will be Jacob Schnell He’s ridden over from Salem with a friend; they ca ride; nearly thirty miles I wondered whether the attraction had been the festivities alone I looked for Tommy Mueller, whom I had privately marked out as a possible match for Lizzie, but didn’t see hi about this Schnell lad?" I asked, giving the boy in question a critical look He was a year or two older than the other boys dancing attendance on Lizzie, and quite tall Plain-featured but good-natured-looking, I thought; heavy-boned, and with a thickness through the middle that foretold the develope

"I dinna ken the lad himself, but I’ve met his uncle It’s a decent family; I think his father’s a cobbler" We both looked autoood quality, and with pewter buckles, large and square in the Gerained an advantage; he was leaning close, saying soht frown of concentration wrinkling the skin between her fair brows as she tried toThen she worked it out, and her face relaxed in laughter

"I dinna think so" Jaht frown on his face as he watched them "The family’s Lutheran; they wouldna let the lad marry a Catholic--and it would break Joseph’s heart to send the lass to live so far away"

Lizzie’s father was deeply attached to her; and having lost her once, he was unlikely to give her so far away in ht that Joseph Wehter’s happiness

"He rew bleak at the thought, but he nodded in reluctant acknowledgh I suppose Arch Bug ht--"

Shouts of "Mac Dubh!" interrupted him

"Come on, a Sheumais ruaidh, show him how!" Evan called from the far end of the barn, and jerked his bow authoritatively

There had been a break in the dancing, to give the musicians time to breathe and have a drink, and in the interi, which could be done with only the acco little attention to this, only hearing the shouts of encouragement or derision from that end of the barn Evidently, reat hand at the sport--the latest gentleman to try it had tripped over one of the swords and fallen flat; he was being helped to his feet, red-faced and laughing, returning genial insults with his friends as they beat the hay and dirt from his clothes

"Mac Dubh, Mac Dubh!" Kenny and Murdo shouted in invitation, beckoning, but Ja